Rustic Dining at Le Pain Quotidien

While I was browsing the photos of my phone, I came across pictures of one of those dinner dates me and my husband had ages ago.  This dinner is one of the most memorable because it was the beginning of my affair with tartine. 

Blogging world, I would like to introduce to you the restaurant that makes my heart and my tummy do a flip-flop - Le Pain Quotidien.  Yes, I know it will take a lot of getting used to in pronouncing the name.  I practiced it in my head and a hundred times while taking a bath before visiting the restaurant.  Still, didn't nail it. It came out like I was talking and chewing something very very sticky at the same time.  It is actually read as "Le Pan Ko-Te-De-An."

The restaurant was right next to Starbucks in Al Najda St., at the ground floor of Twin Towers on the 13th street, this was January 2013.  Before we went there, I have already checked their menu to check what they offer and the price range of the shop.  I was prepared to have a three-course meal (had to skip lunch for this).

The place is just perfect for casual dining. Rustic and homey.  The place gives you that feeling of being in a great place that offers quality food.  The staff are warm and friendly and even helped you pronounced the words on the menu.

We ordered lemonades for drinks which arrived on time.  For our entree I ordered Chicken Mozzarella hot tartine while husbandry got the soup of the day.  The soup was good, just perfect for a cold night.  Perfect for winter time.  As for the tartine?  Well, what can I say.  It was love at first bite.  I just plainly love it.  I want to order more and forget about my main. The crunch of the bread plus the juicy chicken and cheese.

Homemade Lemonade

Soup of the Day: Corn and Mushroom

Chicken Mozzarella Tartine

For the main he got the Fisherman's pot and I got the Chicken chowder.  My husband enjoyed the meal but he was already full after the bowl of soup.  So he was not able to finish everything off.  As for my main, it was sort of dry.  The bread complements the chicken.  It was a bit salty for the creaminess of the chowder.  For dessert we only ordered one because we are already so stuffed but we just need to close the meal with something sweet.  Unfortunately, it was not that good.  My husband liked it because it was chocolate but nothing spectacular.

Chicken Chowder

Fisherman's Pot with Rosemary Potatoes

Chocolate Dome

In the end, the star of the night is the Tartine.  Hands down.  We ended the night a cup of Joe from the next door. 



Spoiler:  the branch here in Abu Dhabi has already closed the last we checked - July 2013.  We have to go to Dubai just to have those darn tartines.

My Three-Day Weekend: Eid Ul Fitr 2013

It was one of those holidays where you didn't have a good plan on how to use it.  Eid ul Fitr 2013 fell on a Thursday making it a three-day holiday for my husband.  We don't exactly have a plan for the said day.  Most of my friends were already booking hotels to stay over and to bask in the sun.

As I am totally scared of the heat, being baked under 45 deg Celsius is not my idea of fun.  What else can we do without getting sun burned during the summer in Abu Dhabi?  Of course!  Head to Dubai.

We were a bit wary of going to Dubai because for sure most of the Abu Dhabi residents will also be going there.  Luckily, we arrived around 12 noon and headed straight to Dubai Mall.  I just like it there.  I don't exactly know why, I just do.  As promised husband took me to my favorite restaurant for lunch - Le Pain Quotidien.  Perfect timing because its also my Nanay's birthday.  Something to celebrate.  I ordered one of my favorites chicken tartine and husband had duck fricasse.

It was a scrumptious lunch.  So we had to walk off those calories and began our 6 hour window shopping and sort-of-shopping.  I know!  6 hours.  I thought my legs are going to give up by the time we went home.  During those we found this exhibit at the Grand Atrium of the Dubai Mall.  It was titled The Genius and His Inventions.  I was so thrilled to see such works.

Albeit it being a replica, it was still beautiful and amazing.  Leonardo da Vinci is truly a genius.  Who would have thought those machines he drew and created with what is available back then would somehow aid the machines of today.  The exhibit is free and its only until the 13th of August 2013.

The remaining two days of the holiday was spent running around the city with tons of errands.  Oh!  I just discovered that if you are craving for some fresh buko.  You can go to Mina Fish Market, one store by the entrance sells them and they can open it for you.  You can enjoy fresh buko juice and get to have the flesh for buko salad.  But if you don't want to rough it out, you can always go to Green House along Airport road.  They have tons of Filipino stuff that you miss from our country.